I approach all summer blockbusters in the same way. I think of them as movies made for fun, meant to be enjoyed for what they are and how they make you feel. They are the cinematic equivalent of pop songs and I love them for it.
Examples of summer blockbusters include:
- Shrek (Fairy tale fun!)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Fun in space!)
- Back to the Future (Fun with time travel!)
- Jurassic World (Raptor squad fun!)
- Ghostbusters (Cheesy fun!)
- Also Ghostbusters (Still cheesy, still fun!)
You see, with tempers running hot all across the internet, people seem to have forgotten about the fun. The original Ghostbusters tackled a serious plot through a cast of comedians, which injected the movie with humor. So does the reboot.
But let me back up a little.
To help you understand where I’m coming from with this review, it’s essential to know that I went through a few emotional stages before heading to the theater. When I heard they were rebooting Ghostbusters, I was skeptical.
Then again, I am always skeptical when it comes to remaking movies that I think either got it right the first time or wouldn’t gain anything from advances in special effects or changes in social message. That is to say, there’s room in my cinematic world for reboots but you really have to sell me on the idea.
When I read that the reboot was going to feature a team of women busting ghosts, I was on board. It’s a new take on the original plot that provides an opportunity for the characters to take on the same challenges from a different perspective. So far, so good.
Then I saw the trailer.
To be honest, this didn’t really thrill me (though not in the same way it didn’t thrill others). I was disappointed because I wanted them to nail it and instead I felt like the jokes fell a bit flat. I know all four of those busters are insanely talented, monumentally funny women, and I was worried that the movie reduced them to caricatures. If they were going to reboot with a female team, I knew they had to be at the top of their game to sell it.
After seeing the movie, I can now say without hesitation that they sold the hell out of it.
First of all, the cast works together in a way that feels effortless. Each member of the ensemble is an essential piece to building a well-oiled comedy machine that never stops delivering from the opening credits to the post-credits bonus scene. (Some people in the theater did not stay through the credits. Don’t be like those people. Those people were fools.)
Second of all, Kate McKinnon.
She is a revelation in this movie. I’d argue that her character is the brains and the heart and the muscle of the team. Holtzmann is the glue that holds everything together. Also, Kate McKinnon is officially invited to every party I ever host from now until the end of time. (Kate, if you’re reading this, I genuinely mean it. Stop by any time.)
Holtzmann has a way of making you feel fine with the fact that she makes you feel uneasy. Like you know she’s teetering on the edge of insanity, but because she means well you’re willing to go ahead and call that sane. You want to be on her team because you know she’s in it to win it.
Then there’s Leslie Jones. Man did the trailer sell her character short. Not only does Patty literally know her way around the city, but she’s also a New York history enthusiast who knows all about the landmarks and the people who built them. The most refreshing element of her character is the fact that she’s coated with a teflon layer of positivity, greeting even the most surly of commuters with a smile. The entire team believes in the science, but Patty also believes in the team.
Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy play characters who were childhood best friends, and their level of comfort with each other on screen makes that scenario entirely believable. They revel in success like people who love each other and they fight like it too. Most importantly, they are both extremely proud to be researchers and have a great respect for the scientific method. They are exactly the type of female role models I want to see on screen.
Chris Hemsworth is goofy and charming. The cameos from original film cast members are everything you would want them to be. Minor character roles are played by a great mix of both veteran comedians and up-and-coming comedic talent. The CGI choices that had me raising my eyebrow watching the trailer translated wonderfully to the big screen – The ghosts had a consistent ethereal style that made it feel like a dreamscape.
But ultimately, none of these elements are as effective an endorsement as it was to see a little boy in a Ghostbusters shirt excitedly hopping out of his seat as the lights came up in the theater, already ready to talk with his mom about what he had just watched. He had loved it. His sister loved it. The middle-aged guy in the seat in front of me loved it. The snarky hipsters in the back row loved it enough to un-ironically declare, “Why aren’t they making Ghostbusters 2?” (Interesting note: They actually might be.)
Everyone in the theater loved it.
I know this because I spent two hours with these people as they belly laughed. I know this because the whole room was giddy. I know this because every person turned to friends at the end of the movie and said, out loud, that they loved it. I know this because we were all walking out of the room grinning.
At the end of the day, that’s what a summer blockbuster is meant for. If you walk out of the room smiling, it did a good job. If you walk out of the room grinning, it did a great job.
As with almost any movie, there’s still room for improvement. I would have loved for this reboot to be somehow connected to the original beyond cameos. I think it would have been so cool if one of the lead scientists was the daughter of a previous buster who had grown up steeped in the lore. Maybe the government managed to convince the people of New York that they had suffered a mass delusion in the 80s, that none of it was real. Give it a conspiracy theory feel.
But even without that, the movie still works. It’s pithy, it’s silly, and it gave me such a rush to see it all play out on screen. If you don’t have fun watching Ghostbusters it’s only because you went into the theater determined not to.
4.5/5 stars
Positively Natalie 